This December, Discovery UK will premiere the captivating, groundbreaking and visually stunning film RACING EXTINCTION in a global exclusive event that will see the film aired in 220 countries in a 24 hour period.

In this highly-charged documentary, Oscar®-winning director Louie Psihoyos (THE COVE) fearlessly examines the epic loss of biodiversity our planet is currently witnessing. RACING EXTINCTION, which took five years in the making, and screened to critical acclaim at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, spans the globe from Argentina to China and from Mexico to Tonga, to expose how human actions are leading to a sixth mass species extinction.

Two worlds are driving extinction across the globe, with scientists predicting that the human footprint on the planet may cause the loss of half of the entire world’s species in the next 100 years. The international wildlife trade creates fraudulent markets at the expense of animals that have survived for millions of years. The other surrounds us, hiding in plain sight — a world that the oil and gas companies don’t want the rest of us to see. Using covert tactics and state-of-the-art technology, the RACING EXTINCTION team exposes these two worlds in an inspiring affirmation to preserve life as we know it.

In a race to save our planet, which is losing species at a rate not seen since a comet hit 65 million years ago, Louie Psihoyos and the group behind the Academy Award®-winning film THE COVE, assemble a team of artists and activists on a new undercover operation to expose the world of species trafficking. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets, the team reveals the shocking facilities trading endangered animals and the scale at which they’re operating.

Covert cameras from Louie’s impassioned team reveal how they successfully manage to close down an LA-based restaurant for serving whale meat, while the team infiltrates one of the largest Chinese seafood wholesalers, where the roofs are packed with thousands of sun-drying shark fins. Figures show that 250,000 sharks are captured for exotic foods every day – a sobering thought for a species whose numbers are declining so rapidly.

The team also uses high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, revealing stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world. In Los Angeles, they employ cutting-edge carbon-dioxide-sensitive cameras to demonstrate the sheer volume of man-made emissions, contrasting that with stunning footage of phosphorescent plankton, whose decline spells serious impact on global oxygen production.

With an inspiring message that aims to shine a spotlight on man’s impact on our planet and encourage dramatic change, RACING EXTINCTIONhighlights our indisputable impact on our natural world that is already causing irreparable damage and has resulted in many species dying out forever, even in the last 50 years.

“With the help of Discovery I believe we can create a tipping point to create the change we need to preserve a planet that can sustain life for all species,” said Louie Psihoyos, Director. “There has never been a more important time in the world than to be alive now — the decisions we make in the next few years will impact the Earth and animal species for millions of years.”

RACING EXTINCTION will be the catalyst for a larger, ongoing campaign utilising the hashtag #StartWith1Thing to serve as Discovery’s call to action to create a worldwide movement. Discovery will ignite curiosity and global actions that people can take in four areas: fighting wildlife trafficking, reducing carbon emissions through use of green energy/transport, supporting green causes, and eating less meat – all by starting with one thing.